Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:03, 10 June 2015

Bernie Sanders
Sanders in 2007
United States Senator from Vermont
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007Serving with Patrick Leahy
Preceded by	Jim Jeffords
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Patty Murray
Succeeded by	Johnny Isakson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's At-large district
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Peter Smith
Succeeded by	Peter Welch
Mayor of Burlington
In office April 6, 1981 – April 1989
Preceded by	Gordon Paquette
Succeeded by	Peter Clavelle
Personal details
Born	Bernard Sanders (1941-09-08) September 8, 1941 (age 83) Brooklyn, New York, United States
Political party	Independent (caucuses with the Democratic Party)
Other political affiliations	Liberty Union (1971–1979) Vermont Progressive (affiliated)
Spouse	Jane O'Meara Driscoll
Children	4
Alma mater	Brooklyn College University of Chicago
Signature
Website	Senate website Presidential campaign website

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential election.

An independent politician since 1979, Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist who favors the creation of employee-owned cooperative enterprises and has praised Scandinavian-style social democracy. He caucuses with the Democratic Party and is counted as a Democrat for purposes of committee assignments. Since January 2015, Sanders has been the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Budget Committee.

After several unsuccessful runs for office, Sanders was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont's largest city, in 1981. He was reelected to three more two-year mayoral terms before being elected to represent Vermont's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 1990. He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to succeed the retiring Republican-turned-independent Jim Jeffords in the U.S. Senate in 2006. In 2012 he was reelected by a landslide. Sanders was the only independent member of the House during most of his service and is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history.

Since his election to the Senate, Sanders has emerged as a leading progressive voice on issues like income inequality, climate change, and campaign finance reform. He rose to national prominence on the heels of his 2010 filibuster of the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates for the wealthy. Sanders is also outspoken on civil liberties issues, and has been particularly critical of mass surveillance policies such as the Patriot Act.

Sanders announced his intentions to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for President on April 30, 2015, in an address on the Capitol lawn. His campaign was officially launched on May 26 in Burlington.

Early life and education

Bernie Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Eli and Dorothy (Glassberg) Sanders. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Poland; most of his family was killed during the Holocaust. His mother was born to Jewish parents in New York. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, where he had competed on his school's track team.

Sanders spent his freshman year studying psychology at Brooklyn College, then transferred to the University of Chicago. While there, he was active in the Civil Rights Movement, and a student organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He was one of thousands of students who traveled by bus to Washington, D.C., to take part in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

Sanders next spent several months on an Israeli kibbutz and moved to Vermont upon his return to the United States. He worked as a carpenter, filmmaker, writer, and researcher, as well as other occupations.

Early political career

Liberty Union campaigns

Sanders's political career began in 1971 when he joined the anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party (LU) in Vermont. Thereafter he ran in and lost several elections, including for the U.S. Senate in 1972 and 1974, and for governor of Vermont in 1972 and 1976. In the 1974 race, Sanders finished third (5,901; 4.1%) behind the victor, 33-year-old Chittenden County State’s Attorney Patrick Leahy (D, VI; 70,629; 49.4%), and two-term incumbent U.S. Representative Dick Mallary (R; 66,223; 46.3%). In 1979, Sanders resigned from the LU and worked as a writer and the director of the nonprofit American People's Historical Society.

Mayor of Burlington

In 1981, at the suggestion of his friend Richard Sugarman, a professor of religion at the University of Vermont, Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington and defeated six-term Democratic incumbent Gordon Paquette by 10 votes in a four-way contest. Sanders won three more terms, defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates. In his final run for mayor in 1987, Sanders defeated a candidate endorsed by both major parties.

During Sanders's first term, his supporters, including the first Citizens Party City Councilor Terry Bouricius, formed the Progressive Coalition, the forerunner of the Vermont Progressive Party. The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council but had enough votes to keep the council from overriding Sanders's vetoes. Under Sanders, Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing. His administration also sued the local cable television provider and won considerably reduced rates and a substantial cash settlement.

After serving four terms, Sanders chose not to seek reelection in 1989. He briefly taught political science at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government that year and at Hamilton College in 1991.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1988, incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Jeffords decided to run for the U.S. Senate, vacating Vermont's at-large congressional district. Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Smith won the House election with a plurality of 41% of the vote. Sanders, who ran as an independent, placed second with 38% of the vote, while Democratic State Representative Paul N. Poirier placed third with 19% of the vote. In 1990, Sanders ran for the seat again and defeated Smith in a rematch, 56%–40%. Sanders became the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 40 years, since Frazier Reams of Ohio. Thereafter Sanders continually won reelection with high margins, with his closest bid in 1994 during the Republican Revolution, when he won by 3.3% with just 49.8% of the vote.

Tenure

In 1991, Sanders co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and chaired the grouping of mostly liberal Democrats for its first eight years. In 1993, Sanders voted for a National Rifle Association (NRA)-supported bill to restrict lawsuits against gun manufacturers and against the Brady Bill. Upon the resignation of Democrat Ron Dellums in 1998, Sanders became the only Congressman to describe himself as a socialist.

Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002, and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He voted for the initial 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists that has been cited as the legal justification for controversial military actions since the September 11 attacks.

Sanders has been a consistent critic of the Patriot Act. As a member of Congress, he voted against the original Patriot Act legislation. After its 357 to 66 passage in the House, Sanders sponsored and voted for several subsequent amendments and acts attempting to curtail its effects, and voted against each reauthorization.

Sanders voted for a non-binding resolution expressing support for troops at the outset of the invasion of Iraq, but gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the vote and the George W. Bush administration's actions in the run-up to the war. On April 7, 2006, about the investigation of what turned out to be a leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity by a Pentagon official, Sanders said, "The revelation that the President authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the President."

In June 2005, Sanders proposed an amendment to limit provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals' library and book-buying records. The amendment passed the House by a bipartisan majority but was removed on November 4 that year in House-Senate negotiations and never became law. Sanders followed this vote on November 5, 2005, by voting against the Online Freedom of Speech Act, which would have exempted the Internet from the restrictions of the McCain-Feingold Bill.

In March 2006, after a series of resolutions calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against the President passed in various towns in Vermont, Sanders stated it would be impractical to impeach George W. Bush, given the "reality that the Republicans control the House and the Senate." Still, Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration, which he regularly criticized for its cuts to social programs.

Sanders was a critic of Alan Greenspan; in June 2003, during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Federal Reserve Chairman, Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations." Sanders said in 1998 that investment banks and commercial banks should remain as separate entities.

Republicans have described Sanders as "an ineffective extremist" for successfully sponsoring only one law and 15 amendments in his eight terms in the House. Sanders responded by saying that he had passed "the most floor amendments of any member of the House since 1996."

U.S. Senate

Elections

Sanders had mentioned on several occasions that he would run for the Senate if Senator Jim Jeffords were to retire, and after Jeffords's announcement that he would not seek a fourth term, Sanders entered the race on April 21, 2005. Chuck Schumer, Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, endorsed Sanders, a critical move as it meant that no Democrat running against Sanders could expect to receive financial help from the party. Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee Chairman and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98% of the time." Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont. Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party, much as he had as a congressman, to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win, which he did.

In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont's history, Sanders defeated businessman Rich Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin. Many national media outlets projected Sanders the winner before any returns came in.

Sanders was reelected in 2012 with 71% of the vote.

Tenure

Polling conducted in August 2011 by Public Policy Polling found that Sanders's approval rating was 67% and his disapproval rating 28%, making him then the third-most popular senator in the country.

Sanders has an agreement with the Democratic leadership in the Senate under which he votes with the Democrats on all procedural matters except with permission of Democratic whip Dick Durbin—a request rarely made or granted—in exchange for the committee seats and seniority that would be available to him as a Democrat. He is free to vote as he pleases on policy matters, but almost always votes with the Democrats.

Budget

On September 24, 2008, Sanders posted an open letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson decrying the initial bank bailout proposal; it drew more than 8,000 citizen cosigners in 24 hours. On January 26, 2009, Sanders and Democrats Robert Byrd, Russ Feingold and Tom Harkin were the sole majority members to vote against confirming Timothy Geithner as United States Secretary of the Treasury.

On December 10, 2010, Sanders delivered an 8½-hour speech against the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates that eventually became law, saying "Enough is enough! How many homes can you own?" (A long speech such as this is commonly known as a filibuster, but because it didn't block action, it was not technically a filibuster under Senate rules.) In response to the speech, hundreds of people signed online petitions urging Sanders to run in the 2012 presidential election and pollsters began measuring his support in key primary states. Progressive activists such as Rabbi Michael Lerner and economist David Korten publicly voiced their support for a prospective Sanders run against President Barack Obama.

Sanders's "filibuster" was published in February 2011 by Nation Books as The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class, with authorial proceeds going to Vermont nonprofit charitable organizations.

Senate Budget Committee

In January 2015 Sanders became the Ranking Democratic Member on the Senate Budget Committee. He appointed economics professor Stephanie Kelton, a distinguished Modern Monetary Theory scholar and self-described "deficit owl," the Chief Economic Advisor of the committee's Democratic minority and presented a report aimed at helping "rebuild the disappearing middle class," which includes proposals to raise the minimum wage, boost infrastructure spending, and increase Social Security payments.

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
  • Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging (Ranking Member)

2016 presidential campaign

In an interview with The Nation on March 6, 2014, Sanders stated that he was "prepared to run for President of the United States" in 2016 but did not officially announce a campaign. On April 28, 2015, Vermont Public Radio reported that Sanders would announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30. The official announcement came on May 26 in Burlington, Vermont.

In a preview of his campaign, Sanders told the Associated Press on April 29 that he would release "very specific proposals" to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations and offer tuition-free higher education at public universities. He also noted his support for more effective regulation of Wall Street and his opposition to free-trade agreements and the Keystone XL pipeline. On April 30, Sanders announced he was running for president in an address on the Capitol lawn, saying, "I don’t believe that the men and women who defended American democracy fought to create a situation where billionaires own the political process." His entry into the race was praised by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has resisted calls to become a candidate herself.

Unlike the other presidential candidates, Sanders stated he will not pursue funding through a Super PAC, instead focusing on small individual donations. Sanders's presidential campaign raised $1.5 million within 24 hours of his official announcement. After four days, Sanders's campaign had raised $3 million from small donors, with an average of $43 per donation.

Sanders has used social media to help his campaign gain momentum. Along with posting content on Twitter and Facebook, he held an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit on May 19, 2015, where his answers garnered thousands of upvotes.

Political positions

Income and wealth inequality

A cornerstone of Sanders campaign is to fight the decreasing income of the middle class and the increasing of wealth inequality:

What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels. This is a rigged economy, which works for the rich and the powerful, and is not working for ordinary Americans … You know, this country just does not belong to a handful of billionaires.

— The Guardian (April 2015)

Taxes

Sanders supports repeal of some of the tax deductions that benefit hedge funds and corporations, and would raise taxes on capital gains and the wealthiest two percent of Americans. He would use the added revenues to lower the taxes of the middle and lower classes.

Wall Street reform

On May 6, 2015, Sanders introduced legislation to break up "too big to fail" financial institutions. With three of the four banks that were bailed out during the 2007–08 Global Financial Crisis now larger than they were then, Sanders believes that "no single financial institution should have holdings so extensive that its failure would send the world economy into crisis. If an institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist."

Trade agreements

Sanders is opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which he has called "a continuation of other disastrous trade agreements, like NAFTA, CAFTA, and permanent normal trade relations with China." He has said he believes Americans need to rebuild their own manufacturing base by utilizing American factories and supporting decent-paying jobs for American labor rather than outsourcing to China and other countries.

Campaign finance

Sanders supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would make campaign finances more transparent and ban U.S. corporations controlled by foreign interests from making political expenditures.

Sanders has been extremely outspoken in calling for an overturn of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Supreme Court ruled McCain-Feingold restrictions on political spending by corporations and unions to be a violation of the First Amendment. He has stated that opposition to the ruling would be a litmus test for any of his judicial nominees as president and has proposed a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling. In an interview with Bill Moyers, Sanders said:

I think the decision of the Supreme Court will go down in history in Citizens United as one of the worst decisions ever. Free speech is your right to talk about any issue that you want. It is not your right to spend unlimited sums of money to control the United States government or state legislatures or governor seats all over this country. That is not what free speech is about. And the American people, by the way, in overwhelming numbers, do not agree with the Supreme Court.

— Moyers & Company (Oct 2014)

Surveillance

Sanders has long been critical of U.S. government surveillance policies. He voted against the USA PATRIOT Act and all of its renewals and has characterized the National Security Agency as "out of control." He has frequently criticized warrantless wiretapping and the collection of the phone, email, library, and internet browsing records of American citizens without due process:

In my view, the NSA is out of control and operating in an unconstitutional manner. I worry very much about kids growing up in a society where they think 'I'm not going to talk about this issue, read this book, or explore this idea because someone may think I'm a terrorist.' That is not the kind of free society I want for our children.

— The Wall Street Journal (May 2015)

Health care

Sanders is a staunch supporter of a universal health care system, and has said, "If you are serious about real healthcare reform, the only way to go is single-payer." Sanders advocates lowering the cost of drugs that are high because they remain under patent for years; some drugs that cost thousands of dollars per year in the U.S. are available for hundreds, or less, in countries where they can be obtained as generics.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has given Sanders a 100% score on his pro-choice voting record. NARAL describes itself as "the political arm of the pro-choice movement and a strong advocate of reproductive freedom and choice; is to protect and preserve the right to choose while promoting policies and programs that improve women's health and make abortion less necessary."

College funding

Sanders is in favor of public funding for college students. He believes "we live in a highly competitive global economy and, if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated work force in the world." He further maintains that many other developed nations in Western Europe have long taken this approach to higher education. Sanders expects his plan to meet strong opposition from the Republican Party, but says it is ultimately "the American people" who will determine its failure or success. On May 19, 2015, Sanders introduced the College for All Act, which would use a Robin Hood tax of 50 cents on every "$100 of stock trades on stock sales" to fund tuition at four-year colleges and universities for students who meet admission standards.

Global warming

Sanders considers global warming a serious problem. In a speech on the Senate floor on July 26, 2012, Sanders addressed claims made by fellow Senator Jim Inhofe: "The bottom line is when Senator Inhofe says global warming is a hoax, he is just dead wrong, according to the vast majority of climate scientists." He was Climate Hawks Vote's top-rated senator on climate leadership in the 113th Congress.

Along with Senator Barbara Boxer, Sanders introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 on January 15, 2007. The measure would have provided funding for research and development on geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide; set emissions standards for new vehicles and a renewable fuels requirement for gasoline beginning in 2016; established energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards beginning in 2008 and low-carbon electric generation standards beginning in 2016 for electric utilities; and required periodic evaluations by the National Academy of Sciences to determine whether emissions targets are adequate.

The Middle East

On March 3, 2015, Sanders was the first senator to decline to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress. He said that the address, arranged without consultation with President Obama, improperly interfered with the President's role. He also argued that it was inappropriate for Netanyahu to use the U.S. Congress for his own political purposes so close to the Israeli legislative election. After the speech, Sanders released a statement supporting the Obama administration's diplomatic effort to address Iran's nuclear program and regretting that Netanyahu's speech did not offer "any serious alternatives" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Sanders joined in passing a 2014 Senate resolution to send funds to Israel during the summer conflict with Hamas.

Media reform

Sanders has been a leader in calling for media reform and opposes increased concentration of ownership of media outlets, as well as being a contributing author for OpEdNews. He appeared in Orwell Rolls in His Grave and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, two documentaries on the subject.

LGBT equality

Sanders is a social liberal, supporting LGBT rights, same-sex marriage, and pro-choice legislation. In the House he voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. As the Supreme Court took up the issue of gay marriage, Sanders issued a statement on his website reaffirming his support, saying gay Americans in every state should be allowed to marry: "Of course all citizens deserve equal rights. It’s time for the Supreme Court to catch up to the American people and legalize gay marriage."

Nuclear energy

Following the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents, Sanders called for a moratorium on the licensing of new nuclear plants and re-licensing of existing ones, in an effort to slow down what has been touted as a nuclear renaissance in the United States. Sanders wrote to President Barack Obama asking for him to appoint a special commission to review the safety of U.S. nuclear plants. Sanders also wants to repeal a federal law that he says leaves the taxpayers to pick up most of the costs of a major nuclear accident. He says, "in a free-enterprise system, the nuclear industry should be required to insure itself against accidents."

Veterans

Sanders won the 2014 Col. Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award from the Military Officers Association of America for his leadership in support of veterans. Sanders introduced the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013 (S. 893; 113th Congress) into the Senate on May 8, 2013. The bill would increase the disability compensation rate for American veterans and their families. Sanders co-wrote, with Senator John McCain, the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, a bill intended to reform the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in response to the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014.

Church and state

Sanders is rated by Americans United for Separation of Church and State as strongly in favor of the separation of church and state.

Personal life

Sanders is married to Jane O'Meara Driscoll, a former president of Burlington College; he has one child and three stepchildren. His brother, Larry Sanders, was a Green Party County Councillor representing the East Oxford division on Oxfordshire County Council, in England, until his retirement in 2013. Larry ran as a Green Party candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2015 general election and came in fifth.

Sanders identifies as Jewish culturally but has said he is not a religious person. He says he feels “very close to the teachings of Pope Francis,” who he describes as “incredibly smart and brave."

Further reading

• Rice, Tom W. "Who Votes for a Socialist Mayor?: The Case of Burlington, Vermont," Polity, vol. 17, no. 4 (Summer 1985), pp. 795–806. In JSTOR
• Rosenfeld, Steven. Making History in Vermont: The Election of a Socialist to Congress. Wakefield, NH: Hollowbrook Publishing, 1992.
• Soifer, Steven. The Socialist Mayor: Bernard Sanders in Burlington, Vermont. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1991.
• Sanders, Bernie. The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class (2011)
• Sanders, Bernie. Outsider in the House (1998, Verso)

References

1. "Senator Bernie Sanders". Vermont Progressive Party. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
2. Sanders, Bernie. "Press Package". Sanders.Senate.gov. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
3. Dreier, Peter (May 5, 2015). "Bernie Sanders' Socialism Is as American as Apple Pie". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
4. "Bernie Sanders confirms presidential run and damns America's inequities". The Guardian. Associated Press. April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. Lerer, Lisa (July 16, 2009). "Where's the outrage over AIG bonuses?". The Politico. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
6. Powell, Michael (November 6, 2006). "Exceedingly Social But Doesn't Like Parties". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
7. Sanders, Bernie. On the issues, BernieSanders.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
8. Sanders, Bernie (June 2, 2014). Worker-Owned Businesses, Bernie Sanders.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
9. Sanders, Bernie (May 26, 2013). "What Can We Learn From Denmark?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
10. Issenberg, Sasha (January 9, 2010). "Sanders a growing force on the far, far left". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 24, 2013. You go to Scandinavia, and you will find that people have a much higher standard of living, in terms of education, health care, and decent paying jobs.
11. McMurry, Evan (May 3, 2015). "Bernie Sanders: America Should Look More Like Scandinavia". Mediaite. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. ^ "Senate Democrats lock in key committee memberships." The Hill. (December 12, 2014).
13. "Bernie Sanders: Biography." Biography.com.
14. ^ Bernie Sanders confirms presidential run and damns America's inequities. The Guardian, April 29, 2015.
15. ^ Totten, Shay (January 15, 2007). "Sanders to push global warming legislation in Senate". Vermont Guardian. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, said Monday he was making good on at least one of a handful of campaign promises — introducing a bill designed to cut U.S. contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade. ... Sanders added that construction of new power plants is "extraordinarily expensive" and he would prefer to see federal funding support used to expand the development of sustainable energy, as well as biofuels.
16. ^ "Sanders, Bernie "If We Don't Overturn Citizens United, The Congress Will Become Paid Employees of the Billionaire Class"". Huffington Post. December 10, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
17. "Senator Sanders Filibuster". CSPAN. March 22, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
18. ^ "Memoli, Michael "Sen. Bernie Sanders ends filibuster"". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
19. ^ Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders Revel in NSA Ruling. The Guardian, April 29, 2015.
20. ^ Sanders Senate Speech on Surveillance.
21. ^ "Sanders takes on 'billionaire class' in launching 2016 bid against Clinton". The Washington Post. April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
22. ^ Rappeport, Alan (April 29, 2015). "Bernie Sanders Announces He Is Running for President". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
23. Cogan, Marin. "Bernie Sanders Is Officially Running for President — That Doesn't Mean You Can Ask Him About Hillary Clinton". Daily Intelligencer. New York magazine. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
24. ^ VIDEO: Bernie Sanders announces run for president. The Burlington Free Press, May 26, 2015.
25. ^ Leibovich, Mark (January 21, 2007). "The Socialist Senator". The New York Times Magazine. The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "NYTSocSen" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
26. Who's Who in American Politics. Google Books. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
27. Kelly, Amita (April 29, 2015). 5 Things You Should Know About Bernie Sanders. NPR. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
28. "6 things to know about Bernie Sanders". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
29. Van Zuylen-Wood, Simon (June 18, 2014). "'I'm Right And Everybody Else Is Wrong. Clear About That?' Bernie Sanders Will Likely Represent The Hard-Line Left In 2016. Will He Help or Hurt the Movement?". National Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
30. Andrews, Helena (January 27, 2007). "Brooklyn School Boasts Famous Graduates in Washington". politico.com.
31. "The wall of distinction". jamesmadisonalumni.org. James Madison High School.
32. Burbank, April (August 23, 2013). "'Something important was going to come' Q&A: Sen. Bernie Sanders remembers the March on Washington". burlingtonfreepress.com.
33. "Sanders was part of 1963 March on Washington". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. timesargus.com. August 25, 2013.
34. "WP Politics: Bernard Sanders". washingtonpost.com. June 30, 2004.
35. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/30/bernie-sanders-faith_n_7174514.html "Huffington Post"Religion News Service by Lauren Markoe Posted: 04/30/2015 10:13 am EDT
36. ^ Jodell, Jack (July 3–4, 2011). "Great Progressive Voices (Part VII)". RoundTree7. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
37. "Election Results Search: 1974 Election Results", sec.state.vt.us; further: pdf for "1974GEUSSen.xls". Citation for votes (total for Leahy and percentages calculated from spreadsheet). Retrieved May 2, 2015.
38. Nelson, Garrison, "Jim Jeffords: Reluctant Rebel" Section: "1974: Changing the Congressional Guard", vtdigger.org, September 14, 2014. Citation for other candidate's full names and brief bios. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
39. Seven Days
40. "Re-election easy for Socialist mayor". Spokane Chronicle. March 4, 1987. p. 46.
41. "WSJ Sanders Profile". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
42. "VT At-Large Race – Nov 08, 1988". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
43. Pertman, Adam (November 11, 1990). "'The Times Caught Up' To Vermont Socialist". The Boston Globe.
44. Vermont State archives, Race – 1994, ret. Apr. 30, 2015
45. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 534". Office of the clerk, US House of Representatives. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
46. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 614". US House of Representatives. Office of the clerk. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
47. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 342". http://clerk.house.gov/. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 13, 2014. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
48. Johnsen, Gregory D. (January 16, 2014). "60 Words And A War Without End: The Untold Story Of The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History". Buzzfeed. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
49. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 398". http://clerk.house.gov/. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 19, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
50. "PATRIOT ACT: Libraries and First Amendment". Retrieved May 19, 2015.
51. "Bernie Sanders: It's Time To End Orwellian Surveillance of Every American". Time Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
52. Yost, Pete (April 7, 2006). "Libby: Bush, Cheney OK'd leak campaign". Associated Press. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
53. "Message". Lists.wisc.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
54. Office of Bernie Sanders (May 20, 2004). "Sanders Blasts Bush's Housing Secretary on Housing Cuts in Vermont". US House of Representatives. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
55. Sanders, Bernie (June 24, 2005). "Have They No Shame?". TPMCafe.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
56. "(VIDEO) Bernie Speaks Out Against The President's Attempt to Eliminate Critical Program Providing Food to Low-Income Seniors". Web.archive.org. February 20, 2006. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
57. "bernie :: statement :: Congressman Sanders' Questioning of Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
58. "News Sept 24 – Newsroom: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)". Sanders.senate.gov. September 24, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
59. "National Republican Senatorial Committee". Web.archive.org. November 13, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
60. "Bernie Sanders: An Ineffective Extremist And Extremely Ineffective". GOPSenators.com. National Republican Senatorial Committee. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
61. "» Bernie on GOP Hit List". Web.archive.org. November 14, 2007. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
62. "Transcript for May 22 – Meet the Press, online at MSNBC". MSNBC. May 22, 2005. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
63. "U.S. Senate: Tarrant-Sanders duel set". Burlington Free Press. September 12, 2006. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
64. Ring, Wilson (November 7, 2006). "Sanders, Welch are winners in Vermont". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
65. "Vermont Election Results". Decision 2012. NBC News. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
66. Americans Love Socialism: Bernie Sanders Is The 3rd Most Popular US Senator Politics USA August 2, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2012.'
67. "(Video) Bailout Petition Statement". Sanders.senate.gov. September 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
68. "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home – Votes – Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
69. ^ Nichols, John (December 29, 2010). "That 'Sanders for President' Talk is Real Enough, But Bernie's Not Going There". The Nation.
70. "Sen. Bernie Sanders' 8 1/2-hour Speech to be Sold in Book Form". Burlington Free Press. January 20, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
71. "Sanders names 'deficit owl' his chief economist". Washington Examiner. December 26, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
72. Resnikoff, Ned (February 19, 2015). "Bernie Sanders, mulling presidential run, adopts novel stance on deficit". Al Jazeera. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
73. Nichols, John (March 6, 2014). "Bernie Sanders: 'I Am Prepared to Run for President of the United States'". The Nation. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
74. "Bernie Sanders to Announce Presidential Bid on Thursday". NBCNews.com. April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
75. Levine, Sam (April 28, 2015). "Bernie Sanders To Launch Presidential Campaign". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
76. Pointdujour, Prisca (May 2, 2015). "Elizabeth Warren praises Bernie Sanders prez bid". Boston Herald. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
77. Bradner, Eric (April 30, 2015). "Sanders doesn't want billionaires' backing". CNN. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
78. Thomas, Ken (May 1, 2015). "Sanders raises $1.5M after announcing presidential bid". Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
79. Krieg, Gregory (May 7, 2015). "Bernie Sanders Raised $3 Million From Small Donors in the First Four Days of His Campaign". Mic. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
80. Corasaniti, Nick (May 18, 2015). "Seeking the Presidency, Bernie Sanders Becomes Facebook Royalty Through Quirky Sharing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
81. Yglesias, Matthew (May 20, 2015). "11 moments from Bernie Sanders' Reddit Q&A that show why he's a progressive hero". Vox. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
82. Sanders, Bernie. "I am Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate for President of the United States — AMA". Reddit. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
83. ^ Desjardins, Lisa (April 30, 2015). "What does Bernie Sanders believe? Where the candidate stands on 10 issues". PBS. Retrieved May 22, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "PBS News Hour" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
84. Sanders, Bernie (May 7, 2015). "Break Up Big Banks". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
85. Resnikoff, Ned (May 6, 2015). "Bernie Sanders proposes breaking up 'too big to fail' banks". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
86. Sanders, Bernie (May 21, 2015). "The TPP Must Be Defeated". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
87. "Legislation – Campaign Finance: Bernie Sanders – U.S. Senator for Vermont". Sanders.senate.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
88. Collins, Eliza. "Bernie Sanders takes dead aim on Citizens United ruling". Politico.
89. Easley, Jason. "Bernie Sanders Files a New Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United". PoliticsUSA.
90. Kamp, Karin. "What the Mainstream Media Won't Lead Bernie Sanders Talk About". Moyers & Company, PBS.
91. Jaffe, Sarah (July 14, 2009). "Sanders Schools McCain on Public Healthcare". The Nation. Retrieved October 16, 2013. Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the Senate's fiercest advocates for real healthcare reform that puts Americans, not private insurance companies, first. Recently, Sanders told The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel, 'f you are serious about real healthcare reform, the only way to go is single-payer.'
92. Carter, Zach (May 19, 2012). "Bernie Sanders Offers Plan To Cut Prescription Drug Prices". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
93. "Bernie Sanders on Abortion". On the Issues. December 29, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
94. Wysocki, Aaron (May 21, 2015). "Bernie Sanders: Free College For All". The Young Turks. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
95. Knowles, David (May 18, 2015). "Bernie Sanders Wants to Tax Stock Trades to Pay for Free College". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
96. Bixby, Scott (May 19, 2015). "Bernie Sanders' Bold, New Plan May Have Just Locked Down the Millennial Vote". Mic. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
97. Resnikoff, Ned (May 19, 2015). "Bernie Sanders unveils plan for tuition-free public colleges". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
98. Gerken, James (July 31, 2012). "Senator Bernie Sanders: Climate Change Is Real, Senator Inhofe Is 'Dead Wrong'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
99. Sheppard, Kate (April 29, 2015). "Prospective Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders Scores High In New 'Climate Hawk' Ranking". The Huffington Post. New York, New York: AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
100. Climate Change Bills of the 110th Congress, Environmental Defense, May 29, 2007.
101. "List of 56 Democrats Not Attending Netanyahu's Speech". IJ Review. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
102. ^ "Senator Sanders Statement on Prime Minister Netanyahu's Speech to Congress". Senator Sanders Press Release. March 3, 2015.
103. Grim, Ryan; Carter, Zach (August 29, 2014). "Elizabeth Warren Defends Israeli Shelling of Gaza Schools, Hospitals". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
104. Nichols, John; McEhsney, Robert W. (July 7, 2003). "The Battle Over Media Ownership is Far From Over". Common Dreams NewsCenter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Members of Congress are finding they cannot avoid talking about media issues because people really are upset with what the FCC did and with the broader issue of who controls the media," says U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, a leading critic of the FCC rule changes and a champion of media reform in the public interest.
105. "Bernie Sanders author page at OpEdNews". OpEdNews. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
106. "Vt. congressman interviewed for film". USA Today. July 26, 2004. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Rep. Bernie Sanders has a burgeoning second job: movie star. Vermont's lone congressman is one of many legislators, journalists and media watchdogs interviewed for "Orwell Rolls in His Grave," by director Robert Pappas, and Robert Greenwald's latest film, "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism."
107. "Final Vote Resulte for Roll Call 316". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
108. Lyons, Kim (April 2015). "Bernie Sanders' Views on Gay Marriage Show He's Been a Supporter for a Long Time".
109. ^ "US Sen. Sanders: Slow down on nuclear relicensing". BusinessWeek. March 21, 2011.
110. "Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) announces 2014 award recipients". Military Officers Association of America. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
111. "S. 893 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
112. Kasperowicz, Pete (November 7, 2013). "House to boost disability pay for veterans". The Hill. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
113. Matishak, Martin; Wong, Kristina (June 11, 2014). "Overnight Defense: Senate passes bipartisan VA fix". The Hill. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
114. "Bernie Sanders on Principles & Values". OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
115. "About Bernie: Bernie Sanders – U.S. Senator for Vermont". Sanders.senate.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
116. "Project Vote Smart – Senator Bernard 'Bernie' Sanders – Biography". Vote-smart.org. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
117. "Councillor Larry Sanders". Retrieved May 19, 2014.
118. "Election results for East Oxford". Oxfordshire County Council. June 4, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
119. "Green County Councillor Retires". Oxfordshire Green Party. June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
120. "Bernie Sanders' brother lost his longshot bid for British Parliament". The Week. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
121. Collinson, Stephen (May 7, 2015). "Bernie Sanders' brotherly love". CNN.com. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
122. Markoe, Lauren (April 30, 2015). "5 Faith Facts About Unabashedly Irreligious Bernie Sanders". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2015.

External links

• Official U.S. Senate Site
• Official Presidential Campaign Site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Template:Dmoz
• Your online guide to Bernie Sanders. The Washington Post, April 30, 2015

v t e Current United States senators
President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Patty Murray (D)
AL: ▌ Tuberville (R)⎣ ▌ Britt (R) AK: ▌ Murkowski (R)⎣ ▌ Sullivan (R) AZ: ▌ Sinema (I)⎣ ▌ Kelly (D) AR: ▌ Boozman (R)⎣ ▌ Cotton (R) CA: ▌ Padilla (D)⎣ ▌ Schiff (D) CO: ▌ Bennet (D)⎣ ▌ Hickenlooper (D) CT: ▌ Blumenthal (D)⎣ ▌ Murphy (D) DE: ▌ Carper (D)⎣ ▌ Coons (D) FL: ▌ Rubio (R)⎣ ▌ R. Scott (R) GA: ▌ Ossoff (D)⎣ ▌ Warnock (D) HI: ▌ Schatz (D)⎣ ▌ Hirono (D) ID: ▌ Crapo (R)⎣ ▌ Risch (R) IL: ▌ Durbin (D)⎣ ▌ Duckworth (D) IN: ▌ Young (R)⎣ ▌ Braun (R) IA: ▌ Grassley (R)⎣ ▌ Ernst (R) KS: ▌ Moran (R)⎣ ▌ Marshall (R) KY: ▌ McConnell (R)⎣ ▌ Paul (R) LA: ▌ Cassidy (R)⎣ ▌ Kennedy (R) ME: ▌ Collins (R)⎣ ▌ King (I) MD: ▌ Cardin (D)⎣ ▌ Van Hollen (D) MA: ▌ Warren (D)⎣ ▌ Markey (D) MI: ▌ Stabenow (D)⎣ ▌ Peters (D) MN: ▌ Klobuchar (D)⎣ ▌ Smith (D) MS: ▌ Wicker (R)⎣ ▌ Hyde-Smith (R) MO: ▌ Hawley (R)⎣ ▌ Schmitt (R) MT: ▌ Tester (D)⎣ ▌ Daines (R) NE: ▌ Fischer (R)⎣ ▌ Ricketts (R) NV: ▌ Cortez Masto (D)⎣ ▌ Rosen (D) NH: ▌ Shaheen (D)⎣ ▌ Hassan (D) NJ: ▌ Booker (D)⎣ ▌ Kim (D) NM: ▌ Heinrich (D)⎣ ▌ Luján (D) NY: ▌ Schumer (D)⎣ ▌ Gillibrand (D) NC: ▌ Tillis (R)⎣ ▌ Budd (R) ND: ▌ Hoeven (R)⎣ ▌ Cramer (R) OH: ▌ Brown (D)⎣ ▌ Vance (R) OK: ▌ Lankford (R)⎣ ▌ Mullin (R) OR: ▌ Wyden (D)⎣ ▌ Merkley (D) PA: ▌ Casey (D)⎣ ▌ Fetterman (D) RI: ▌ Reed (D)⎣ ▌ Whitehouse (D) SC: ▌ Graham (R)⎣ ▌ T. Scott (R) SD: ▌ Thune (R)⎣ ▌ Rounds (R) TN: ▌ Blackburn (R)⎣ ▌ Hagerty (R) TX: ▌ Cornyn (R)⎣ ▌ Cruz (R) UT: ▌ Lee (R)⎣ ▌ Romney (R) VT: ▌ Sanders (I)⎣ ▌ Welch (D) VA: ▌ Warner (D)⎣ ▌ Kaine (D) WA: ▌ Murray (D)⎣ ▌ Cantwell (D) WV: ▌ Manchin (I)⎣ ▌ Capito (R) WI: ▌ Johnson (R)⎣ ▌ Baldwin (D) WY: ▌ Barrasso (R)⎣ ▌ Lummis (R)
▌ Republican: 49 ▌ Democratic: 47 ▌ Independent: 4

v t e United States senators from Vermont
Class 1	M. Robinson Tichenor Chipman Smith J. Robinson Tichenor Seymour Swift Phelps Foot Edmunds Proctor Stewart Page Greene Partridge Austin Flanders Prouty Stafford Jeffords Sanders
Class 3	Bradley Paine Bradley Chase Fisk Palmer Chase Prentiss Crafts Upham Phelps Brainerd Collamer Poland Morrill Ross Dillingham Dale Gibson Sr. Gibson Jr. Aiken Leahy Welch

v t e Chairs of the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Hartke Cranston Simpson Murkowski Cranston Rockefeller Simpson Specter Rockefeller Specter Craig Akaka Murray Sanders Isakson Moran Tester Moran (designate)

Template:Persondata

• 1941 births
• 20th-century American politicians
• 21st-century American politicians
• American anti–Iraq War activists
• American carpenters
• American filmmakers
• American people of Polish-Jewish descent
• American political writers
• American progressives
• American socialists
• Democratic socialists
• Harvard University faculty
• Independent members of the United States House of Representatives
• Independent United States Senators
• Jewish American mayors
• Jewish American writers
• Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
• Jewish United States Senators
• LGBT rights activists from the United States
• Liberty Union Party politicians
• Living people
• Mayors of Burlington, Vermont
• Mayors of places in Vermont
• Members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont
• People from Brooklyn
• Progressivism in the United States
• Researchers
• United States presidential candidates, 2016
• United States Senators from Vermont
• University of Chicago alumni
• Vermont Democrats
• Vermont Independents
• Writers from Brooklyn
• Writers from Vermont